Turning Point: Dusko Savanovic of Serbia had a chance to win the game at the end of overtime while open and just a few feet away from the basket as the final seconds ticked away, but his shot was short and France held on for a 97-96 win.

Game Hero: Marko Keselj was spectacular for Serbia, scoring 25 points, including a shot from beyond the arc with 24.1 seconds left that gave his team a 96-95 lead. But France's Tony Parker's two free-throws with 19 seconds to play gave him 24 points and also proved to be the game-winning points.

Stats Don't Lie: France were aggressive, attacked the basket and scored 58 of their 97 points in the lane to just 28 for Serbia.

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France scraped a 97-96 overtime triumph against Serbia to clinch first place in EuroBasket Group B on Monday night in Siauliai.

In a battle of unbeatens, a pair of Tony Parker free-throws with 19 seconds remaining were the last points of the game, although it could have been very different as Serbia's sensational forward Dusko Savanovic was just a few feet away from the basket and missed an open shot at the end.

Victory means that France will start Round 2 with a couple of victories and Serbia must go into the next phase with a 1-1 mark.

"We did what we wanted to do, but unfortunately we missed the shot," Serbia coach Dusan Ivkovic said.

France coach Vincent Collet, whose team got 24 points from Parker and overcame the blistering, long-range shooting display of Serbia who were 11 of 23 (48%), spoke about the importance of the win.

"It was very important to go to Vilnius with two wins because playing against Turkey, Lithuania and Spain, it's going to be tough like tonight," Collet said.

"What was good is that we forced Serbia to turn the ball over."

Serbia had 18 turnovers.

"Sometimes they got some open shots, because they are very good for decision-making to find the open player, but from this we also forced them to make some mistakes and from these mistakes, we were able to score," Collet said.

"This was a very tough game to play. I am really proud of my team. This was the way we should play in the next games. With this level we will be good in the future."

France Forward Boris Diaw:"This was a very important victory for the second stage and for the future games. Serbia played so well together. Sometimes it is just gambling, but you can stop everything."

Serbia Head Coach Dusan Ivkovic:"I hope the spectators enjoyed this kind of game. Defense was great. Unfortunately, we missed the last easy shot. We did what we had."

France Head Coach Vincent Collet:"High level action, for fans it was something amazing but we still need victories. Sometimes they have got some open shots as well. Once again, good rebounds against Serbia."